The Art of Italics: A Simple Guide

When writing abut art exhibitions, it’s important to follow the correct formatting guidelines in order to ensure accuracy and clarity. One of the most common questions is whether exhibition titles should be italicized or not. The answer depends on the type and size of the exhibition, as well as the title itself.

Large-scale exhibitions and fairs are capitalized but not italicized. This includes popular events such as art fairs, biennials, and triennials, aong others. Smaller exhibitions (e.g., at museums) and the titles of exhibition catalogs (often one and the same) are italicized.

Titles of special events, such as art exhibits and touring displays, are also enclosed in quotation marks with primary words capitalized. Examples include “Mummies: New Secrets From the Tombs” at Chicago’s Field Museum or “The Art of War” at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In addition to exhibitions, there are other elements that require italics or quotation marks when writing about them in an essay or article. Books, plays, films, periodicals, databases, and websites should all be italicized while articles, essays, chapters, poems, webpages, songs and speeches should be placed in quotation marks.

It’s essential to remember that formatting guidelines can change from source to source so always double-check with your publisher or professor before submitting your work! By following these guidelines you can ensure that your essay or article is both accurate and professional looking!

Formatting Exhibition Titles

When formatting an exhibition title, it is important to consider the size and scope of the exhibition itself. For large-scale exhibitions and fairs, the title should be written in sentence case (first word capitalized) but not italicized. For smaller exhibitions, such as thoe held at museums, the title should be written in sentence case and italicized. Additionally, titles of exhibition catalogs should also be italicized.

are exhibition titles italicized
Source: sjmusart.org

Capitalizing Exhibit Names

Yes, when writing the name of a special event such as an art exhibit or touring display, it should be capitalized. This includes capitalizing all primary words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns). For example, if you were writing about an exhibit called “Mummies: New Secrets From the Tombs” at Chicago’s Field Museum, you would write the title as follows: “Mummies: New Secrets From the Tombs” at Chicago’s Field Museum.

Titles That Should Not Be Italicized

Titles that should not be italicized include the names of articles and papers, chapters, individual lectures, podcasts and individual videos, short poems, short stories, single TV episodes, and songs.

Italicizing Titles

Titles of books, plays, films, periodicals, databases, and websites shold be italicized when they are self-contained and independent. Examples of these include novels such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Gone with the Wind; plays such as The Crucible and Macbeth; films like Star Wars and The Godfather; periodicals like The New York Times and National Geographic; databases like LexisNexis; and websites such as Google or Wikipedia. On the other hand, titles of articles, essays, chapters, poems, webpages, songs, and speeches should be placed in quotation marks if they are part of a larger work. For example, “The Catcher in the Rye” is an essay within J.D. Salinger’s novel of the same name; “The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot is a poem from his 1922 publication; “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin is a song from 1924; and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was given in 1963.

Creating an Engaging Title for an Art Exhibition

To write an effective art exhibition title, cosider the content and focus of the exhibition and use descriptive words that accurately reflect the theme or concept of the artworks. Try to create a title that is both catchy and informative, such as ‘A Journey Through Time: Exploring Impressionist Paintings’ or ‘Abstract Reality: Exploring Non-Representational Art’. Be sure to carefully research any words or phrases used in your title to ensure they are appropriate and accurately reflect the exhibition’s content and concept. Finally, make sure to check for any potential copyright infringement issues before using any titles inspired by existing works of art.

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Mentioning an Exhibition in an Essay

In an essay, an exhibition can be mentioned by providing the title of the exhibition in italics, followed by the year in round brackets (e.g. ‘The World of Art: A Visual Exploration (2020) [Exhibition]’). The location and date(s) of the exhibition sould also be included (e.g. ‘The World of Art: A Visual Exploration (2020) [Exhibition]. Museum of Modern Art, New York. April 1 – June 30, 2020’).

Writing an Exhibition Label

When writing an exhibition label, it’s important to keep your visitors in mind. Your text should be short and simple, and written in an active voice. Avoid usig technical or overly academic language – make it casual and conversational, as if you’re talking directly to the viewer. Describe the object or artwork in detail, but don’t forget to include its purpose or significance. Try to bring the object to life by including interesting facts or anecdotes that will engage readers. Always double-check for accuracy, spelling and grammar before printing. And remember – the goal is for your label to be informative and engaging!

The Importance of Exhibitions

An exhibition is a display of artwork, artifacts, or other items of interest that is usually held in a museum or gallery setting. For example, you could say: “The new exhibition at the local art museum showcases work from emerging artists in the area.” Or, “The exhibition at the history museum displays artifacts from the 1800s.”

Capitalizing Van in Van Gogh

Yes, the “Van” in “Van Gogh” should be capitalised as it is part of a surname. When used in isolation, without a first name or initials, the “Van” should be capitalised to indicate that it is being used as a surname. For example, when referring to the famous Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, one would write “Vincent van Gogh” and when referring to the artist alone, one would write “Van Gogh”.

Italicizing and Quoting Titles

Italicized titles generally refer to large works, such as books, movies, television shows, newspapers, magazines, and albums. Examples include The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the movie The Godfather, the television show Breaking Bad, the newspaper The New York Times, the magazine People, and the album Abbey Road by The Beatles.

Quotation marks are used for titles of smaller works within a larger work. This can include chapters in books, articles in newspapers or magazines, individual poems or short stories within an anthology, songs on an album, and episodes of television series. Examples include “The End of Something” from Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises; “What Time Is it?” from the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles; and “Fly” from the television series Breaking Bad.

When to Use Italics

When deciding whether or not to italicize something, it is important to consider the type of writing you are producing. Generally speaking, titles of works such as books, movies, songs, TV shows, plays, and other long compositions sould be italicized. Other things that may be italicized include foreign words and phrases, technical terms, words used as themselves (as opposed to being part of a sentence), and letters or words referred to as themselves. In addition, when quoting dialogue from a work in text form rather than spoken form (i.e., a book or movie script), it is best practice to keep the quoted dialogue in its original italics. Finally, italics may be used for emphasis in certain cases; however this should be done sparingly so as not to detract from the overall tone of the writing.

When to Use Italics

Italics should be used to emphasize a certain word, phrase, or sentence. They are also used to indcate the title of a standalone work, such as books and movies. Additionally, italics can be used to denote the names of vehicles, such as ships and planes. Furthermore, italics are often used for words borrowed from another language. Lastly, italics are commonly used for the Latin “scientific” names of plant and animal species.

When to Avoid Italicizing in MLA Format

MLA style does not require italics for titles of articles, regardless of teir source. Titles of articles should always be placed in quotation marks, but the title of the source where the article was published (e.g. a journal, newspaper, website, etc.) should be italicized. Additionally, any other titles (e.g. books, movies, tv shows) should also be italicized in MLA style.

Should The New York Times Be Italicized?

No, you do not italicize the name of the newspaper ‘The New York Times’. The titles of newspapers should be written in plain text, and any words that are part of the title (such as “The”) should not be italicized. For example, if you were referencing an article from The New York Times, you wold write it as “The New York Times” in plain text rather than italicizing it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, exhibition titles should be italicized when they refer to a self-contained and independent source, such as a book, play, film, periodical, database or website. However, for sources that are part of a larger work, such as articles, essays, chapters, poems, webpages, songs and speeches the titles should be enclosed in quotation marks. It is important to remember these guidelines when writing about exhibitions or other special events so that you can ensure your writing is accurate and follows the correct conventions.

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William Armstrong

William Armstrong is a senior editor with H-O-M-E.org, where he writes on a wide variety of topics. He has also worked as a radio reporter and holds a degree from Moody College of Communication. William was born in Denton, TX and currently resides in Austin.